


Just Go With It

by honestgrins



Series: Elsewhere [6]
Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-28
Updated: 2016-08-28
Packaged: 2018-08-11 12:41:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7892647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honestgrins/pseuds/honestgrins
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kol had never had a friend like Caroline, a purely platonic soulmate. Their easy relationship is misconstrued by his family when they're caught in a horribly compromising situation. That doesn't stop Klaus from setting his sights on Caroline.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Just Go With It

Shutting off the water, Caroline stepped out of the shower. It had been a long day of unpacking, and she needed to relax a bit before going out to explore her new home.

New Orleans was a big risk for the small-town girl, but Kol had talked her into moving with him back to his hometown. They had been inseparable since the Laundry Room Incident in their freshman year, when only Kol's quick thinking convinced the dorm supervisor it was a faulty machine and not a tipsy Caroline that started a foam party in the basement. A girl didn't make a best friend like that every day, and she couldn't bear the thought of them drifting apart after college. So, the night after graduation, they packed her car and drove down to the Big Easy.

As much as she loved him, though, Caroline had reservations about living with Kol. He had zero boundaries, even with his "platonic soulmate" as he once drunkenly dubbed her. Case in point, she left the bathroom wearing only a towel and found him lying on her bed, playing with the clean underwear she had set out. "Kol!"

"Granny panties, darling?" He shook his head in disappointment. "I expected better from you on our first night about town. Who knows who you might meet?"

"A better roommate?" she asked hopefully, attempting to snatch the underwear from his hands.

He deftly rolled off her bed and out of her reach. Dangling the panties from his finger, he taunted, "You know you could never replace me in your heart."

Chasing him out to their living room, Caroline managed to pin him to the couch while keeping a death grip on her towel. He was laughing too hard to put up a good defense, and she nearly freed his grasp when their front door burst open.

"Surprise!"

"Oh my god," Caroline shrieked as strangers flooded their entryway. She glanced around to find a weapon, cursing that Kol's baseball bat was still packed away until she realized they were staring at her.

And she was straddling Kol.

In only a towel.

Her eyes slammed shut as she pressed her face to his shoulder. "Why would you leave the door unlocked?"

"So my family could let themselves in when we all go out tonight," he answered breezily, waxing toward his guests. "Hello, Mother! I wasn't aware you would be joining us."

Caroline wanted to die. As gracefully as she could, she removed herself from Kol's lap. "If you'll excuse me," she said, all but sprinting to her room.

"Oh, darling!" Kol called, forcing her to turn back. He tossed her underwear across the room, and Caroline watched as his mother, sister, and three brothers tracked its flight in horror. "Wouldn't want you to forget those."

Completely mortified, Caroline caught the panties out of the air and shut herself inside her room. Even after four years of being best friends, she had never met Kol's family. He claimed it was to protect her from their stern judgment, but she knew family was a sore subject for him. She had figured he would make introductions once they were settled in Louisiana, but she didn't know it would be tonight. "Way to make a good impression," she muttered to herself.

She hurriedly dressed, though she took care to perfect her makeup. From what little Kol had told her of Esther Mikaelson, presentation mattered more than substance. Considering the display his mother had just witnessed, Caroline wasn't expecting any praise on either point. When she finally reemerged, though, it seemed like Kol was taking the brunt of the situation.

"You called me an idiot for even joking that you must be sleeping with this girl you had to convince to live with you," the younger blonde woman yelled. Caroline assumed it to be Rebekah, whom Kol often described as a spoiled brat with a temper. "Do you really expect us to believe that twit is your friend?"

"She's not a twit," Kol rebuffed. His shrug was nonchalant, but Caroline recognized the look in his eyes. It reminded her of the time he punched her ex-boyfriend, the one who called her a whore for having rebound sex with one of his frat brothers. Kol hadn't taken kindly to insulting Caroline then, and he certainly wasn't having it now. "And she is my friend, so you'd best watch your words, sister dear."

Coughing, Caroline directed the group's attention away from a steaming Kol. "I'm sorry you had see our roommate dispute, but Kol and I really are just friends," she explained. The reactions ranged from disbelieving to unimpressed, the latter reserved for the other women in the room. "I'm Caroline."

"Hello, Caroline." Esther's eyes ran over her outfit, a neat sundress topped with a denim jacket. Her cold examination clearly found her lacking, and Caroline forced herself not to fidget. "I believe we were expected to arrive at this time, though I apologize that we seemed to have surprised you. Will you be joining us for dinner, then?"

Caroline blinked before turning to Kol. She had been under the impression just the two of them were going out; she didn't mind that his family was tagging along, but it never crossed her mind that she would be seen as intruding.

"Of course," Kol answered, wrapping an arm around her shoulders to lead her out of their apartment. He threw his head back to explain to his following family. "I promised all sorts of debauchery for our first night in New Orleans."

"Kol-"

"Nonsense, darling," he stage-whispered into her ear. "The jig is up, we might as well be lovey-dovey as we please." Placing a smacking kiss on her cheek, Kol finally managed to get her to roll her eyes.

This was going to be a long night.

* * *

As obnoxious as Kol was being, Caroline had to admit joking around as his fake girlfriend took the pressure off her for dinner. His family's opinion of her couldn't get worse, and they would understand the odd friendship eventually. When Kol held her hand on top of the table, she figured it would be easier to just go with it.

While she expected the dirty looks from Rebekah and Elijah, the stodgy brother wearing a suit, Caroline wasn't quite prepared for Esther's cool interrogation. Even with a sheriff for a mother, she found herself getting antsy under the stern attention.

"So Caroline," Esther said, breaking up the otherwise easy conversation the siblings had fallen into. "What brings you to New Orleans, aside from my son?"

Kol opened his mouth to answer, but Caroline squeezed his hand to shut him up. "I accepted a position with Crescent Affairs, one of the top event management firms here in the city," she replied, her Miss Mystic Falls smile plastered to her face.

"A party planner?" Esther narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Surely you have more ambition than that."

Her mouth dropping open in shock, Caroline tried to gather herself before she ripped into this woman for looking down on her dream job. However, a surprising voice spoke up before she could.

"I believe you employ Crescent Affairs for a number of your functions, Mother," Klaus pointed out. He hid a smirk as he sipped his wine, but he shot Caroline a wink.

She frowned in confusion, though she enjoyed the sour look on Esther's face.

Klaus, or Niklaus as Kol called him in complaints, was the one Mikaelson she couldn't get a read on. While she reluctantly accepted the burden of being Kol's assumed girlfriend, Caroline didn't understand why his older brother would expend any flirtatious effort on her. Nevertheless, he cheekily kissed her hand upon introduction, leaned over to make more than polite conversation on their walk to the restaurant, and now he was winking at her and defending her to his mother.

Fake girlfriend or not, Caroline was much too loyal to allow such behavior in front of Kol. It was just rude, and the family apparently had a history of brotherly entanglements with the same women. Even a shameless rake like Kol deserved better than that, and she would have no part in whatever shenanigans this Niklaus was trying to instigate.

Still, she appreciated the counterattack to expose Esther's hypocrisy. "That's right," she said as though discovering something new. "Kol mentioned you work in charitable fundraising, and I was so thrilled to find several of your causes on my client list. I look forward to working on the hospital gala, it sounds like the event of the year."

"It ought to be," Rebekah sniffed. "Mother's been running that gala for the last decade."

"I'm sure new blood is always appreciated," Klaus said, raising an eyebrow to Caroline in challenge. "Are you sure you're up to facing the more traditional society set? They can be quite vicious when it comes to protecting their domain."

Caroline narrowed her eyes, but she resisted the urge to stab her fork into his hand. "The more difficult the circumstances, the harder I work to overcome and exceed expectations," she ground out through her teeth.

Leaning toward her conspiratorially, he had the nerve to smirk. Those damn dimples weren't enough to disarm her, charming as he thought they were. "You might have met your match, love," he teased. "New Orleans has retained an opulence that defies all expectations. Your determination is admirable, if a bit naive. Perhaps your efforts would be more appreciated elsewhere."

"When someone tells me I can't do something, I prove them wrong," Caroline answered steely.

* * *

Hanging his head, Kol tried not to burst out laughing while the others watched their conversation in morbid intrigue. He knew Caroline better than anyone in the world, and his brother just received a warning of the direst sort. Should Niklaus try to mess with her, she would do everything in her power to ruin his life.

Of course, his git of a brother just smiled like a gauntlet hadn't been thrown. He actually looked thrilled, much to Kol's dread.

His friendship with Caroline was unprecedented in Kol's life, and part of the reason he'd never introduced her to his family was to prevent them from scaring her away. The Mikaelsons were dramatic in the extreme. While Kol preferred to think he enjoyed the whimsical traits of the gene pool, he could admit the full spectrum might be overwhelming to even someone as strong-willed as his best friend. So, he kept her hidden. Protected, really.

But deep down, he knew there was the potential for his worst nightmare to come true.

Kol had always had a bit of an inferiority complex when it came to the family. It was a classic middle child syndrome, especially in the pack of children his mother bore. Elijah was the staid eldest and Henrik the adorable baby, with Rebekah and Nik each claiming a special subset of their own in between. Rebekah got to be the princess among her peasant brothers; Nik's dubious paternity garnered him plenty of attention, though not necessarily positive. Their father had been a hard man.

Yet Kol was the exception, always acting out with his pranks and mischievous demeanor. Anything to attract attention he didn't get at home. He was the one who met his match in Caroline. That foam party she managed to create in their dorm's laundry room was an elaborate attempt of her own to go above and beyond to prove herself as worthy of friendship. They found a kindred spirit in each other, and everything clicked. Four years later, he had a friend he didn't want to lose.

Leave it to Niklaus to test that bond.

Kol loved his brother, he really did. Out of all his siblings, it would probably be Nik he called his favorite. They enjoyed their liquor, creative outlets, and general merriment whenever they could. But they also had their differences. Where Kol favored flash, Nik preferred a soulful depth. A charming flirt often meant nothing from Kol, but Nik only pulled it out when he was truly interested. The cherub looks apparently smoothed the course of his life plenty, and Nik rarely put in extra effort until he needed to.

But that effort was out in full force at dinner, and it was solely directed at the one person Kol had designated as his own. Call it sibling rivalry, but he only ever wanted things that were just his - and Caroline was his.

Objectively, he could understand why Nik and Caroline would hit it off. Hell, he had half expected it when they decided to move to New Orleans, even made some half-hearted remarks to his brother about it. That was probably why Nik felt free to flirt as he pleased, despite the scene the whole family had been treated to back at the apartment; he was the only one who knew just how platonic Kol and Caroline's relationship was.

The affronted expression carefully hidden on Caroline's face was apparent to Kol, and he chewed the inside of his cheek to keep from giggling like a child. Poor Nik was flirting with her, and she was too deep into the fake girlfriend ploy to accept his attentions kindly.

Never let it be said that Caroline Forbes didn't make the most of her one semester as a drama major; the girl could commit to a scene.

As he watched the two continue their banter, the rest of the family all pretended not to be interested. Kol would certainly have words with his mother and Rebekah about being more respectful to Caroline, but even they were fighting smiles at her cool defense against Nik. He considered speaking up, if only to change the subject, but he was enjoying the show too much.

He should probably set up a pool betting when Nik would finally seduce Caroline. Kol would rig the game, of course. He knew Caroline better than anyone, and she was definitely the instigator in any relationship. Oh, she would put up a fine resistance, but Kol figured she would be dragging his brother into closets and bathrooms within a month's time.

Damn those cherubic looks, they really did make it so easy for Nik. Even Caroline wouldn't be able to stay mad at him for long, and she was the queen of grudges.

* * *

"Ugh," she groaned, kicking off her shoes once they were safely ensconced in their apartment. "Your brother is seriously gross. You don't hit on your brother's girlfriend! And didn't you say he and Elijah basically shared a girlfriend in high school? Like, seriously! Learn a lesson and move on with your life. There are easier ways to meet women than waiting for your siblings to bring one to dinner."

Kol had gone straight to the kitchen for tequila shots. The night was supposed to be about celebration, after all. "You do know we're not actually dating, right?" he asked, pouring out the good stuff. He handed Caroline one of the drinks. "And we have no limes, so just grin and bear it, darling."

She smiled wanly, accepting the shot with a quick cheers before downing the tequila. With a cough, Caroline went back to her point of contention. "Okay, but your brother didn't know we weren't dating, and he was hitting on your girlfriend," she said. "Even you, who lacks so many of the basic boundary principles of polite society, must see how rude that is."

"It would be rude," Kol agreed, pouring himself an extra shot to prepare for her reaction. "However, I feel the need to share that Nik knows we're not dating."

Blinking, Caroline appeared to be processing. "I- What?"

"And I might have implied that you two would make a good couple," he admitted. "Repeatedly. Over the course of years."

Her brow furrowed in increments, and only when the vein in the center of her forehead grew prominent did Kol wince. "What?" she asked again, except louder and more outraged.

Kol considered ducking behind the counter to avoid her wrath, but a knock on the door just saved him from searching for a weapon of self-defense. "A visitor," he cried, going to answer the door as Caroline threw packing peanuts that still littered the apartment at his head. Laughing, Kol greeted his savior, only to smack his face when he saw who it was. "Nik, now is probably not a good time."

"Oh," Caroline guffawed from behind him. The tequila had apparently worked its tongue-loosening power on her mighty quick. "This is a great time. In fact, let me whip up a PowerPoint presentation on how disrespectful it is to hit on your brother's girlfriend."

Unconcerned, Nik just leaned in the doorway as Kol dodged the blonde stomping toward them. "If Kol ever managed to remain interested in only one romantic partner, I would likely shake their hand for taming the most unrepentant libertine since Zeus himself."

Kol positively preened at the compliment, though Caroline scoffed. "Regardless of his manwhore ways, your family still assumed Kol was dating me," she said, crossing her arms. "They already think I'm a ditz who's sleeping with your brother. Do you really think that blatantly flirting with me is going to help that impression?"

"Probably not," Klaus admitted, looking more sheepish than Kol had ever seen. Suddenly, he felt as though he were intruding on a private moment, a feeling he never wanted when it came to Caroline. His insecurities rushed back to the surface, though he remained silent. "That's why I stopped by. I was hoping I could make it up to you, maybe over coffee and beignets?"

Glancing over to Caroline, Kol read the calculation of her expression. A selfish part of him cheered; it was nice to see Nik have to work for something. "Kol and I are going to Cafe du Monde tomorrow, so I've got the beignets covered," she decided. "But, he's my best friend. That is never going to change, and I guess it wouldn't hurt to get to know his brother. And I'm new to the city, and a girl needs friends."

Kol resisted the urge to snort, but barely. He had a feeling Nik wouldn't stop at being her friend.

With a thoughtful look, Klaus nodded. "I have a friend who gives haunted tours of the French Quarter," he said. "Marcel's a history buff, and he loves to show off. You'll learn a bit more about your new home and make a new friend out of it."

"And what do you get out of the deal?" Caroline's suspicion was softened by the note of intrigue in her voice.

Damn those cherubic looks again, but Kol would swear Nik's smirk was that of Lucifer himself. "Just the opportunity to spend time with the best friend my brother has ever had," he answered, pretentious bow and all.

Rolling her eyes, Caroline huffed. "Fine." She promptly turned on her heel to kiss Kol on the cheek. "Good night, Kol. Don't forget, we need to be in line early tomorrow for breakfast."

She left the brothers alone, but only Nik watched her disappear to the apartment's interior. "You weren't kidding," he said, sounding mystified. "She's perfect."

"Oh, brother," Kol sighed, pushing him out the door. "You're lucky she didn't stab you at dinner. I saw the way she clenched her fork, it could have happened."

His tongue peeking out, Nik seemed conflicted. With a deep breath, though, he finally asked, "Do I have a shot?"

Smiling easily, Kol shrugged. "I'm starting a betting pool as soon as Marcel gets a read on you two," he answered. "If I'm going to lose my best friend, I at least want to make some money on the deal."

Nik pulled him in for a hug, the awkward one reserved for brothers of a somewhat emotionally distant family. "From what I've seen, I don't think it's possible for you lose that girl."

"You think?" Kol cringed at how vulnerable his quiet question made him, but he wanted - needed - to hear it.

"You threw her underwear in front of your entire family, who had just caught her in a compromising position. She not only went to dinner with that same family, but also hasn't fled the city in terror."

"...point taken."


End file.
